The 10th Marines is one of the oldest and proudest of the regiments of Marines.
It's unbroken service spans 86 years. The line from the Marines Hymn, "We have fought in every clime and place where we could take a gun," could well serve as its motto: Mexico, Haiti, Santo Domingo, the Pacific islands and atolls- the regiment has been there. In times of peace and near war, it has served in Iceland, China, Japan, Lebanon, Norway and Germany, and with the Landing Force Sixth Fleet.
The 10th Marines were formed on April 25th 1914 as an Artillery Battalion under the 1st Marine Brigade. The 10th Marines took part in conflicts in Haiti and the Dominican Republic from August 1915 to May 1917. The Battalion was expanded throughout mid 1917 and finally, on 15 January 1917 the expanded Battalion was redesignated as the 10th Marine Regiment of Field Artillery.
Between the First and Second World War the 10th Regiment worked on many different things, including annual reenactments of Civil War battles, building their Barracks and various other construction around the base, and guarding the mail. Also during this time the Regiment was deployed to China, and also to Iceland just prior to American involvement in World War II. During the war the Regiment was involved in the assault on Guadalcanal and later took part in the bloody taking of Tarawa and later Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa.
After the end of World War II the 10th Marines found themselves at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which would be their home until present day. They once again found themselves mobilized during the Korean war and again later during the Cuban Missile Crisis when they participated in the blockade of Cuba. As the Korean war started the 10th Marines were working with a skeleton crew, but five month's later they were back up to full wartime strength and ready to fight.
Since that time the Regiment has participated in exercises testing the methods of firing 155mm Howitzers from Landing Craft, as well as the twice annual Fire Exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Regiment has also continuously sent Firing Batteries and Battalions to train in Okinawa and to participate in CAX, a desert training operation held at Twenty Nine Palms California at the edge of the Mohave Desert.
The Regiment has time and again shown that it can set up, fire and move to a new position with astounding speed, and twice a year they display their skill in the direct fire competition at Fort Bragg.
